72 Hours in Koh Lanta
The highly anticipated time had arrived, after a full day of travel by road to Bangkok airport from Hua Hin, then a flight to Krabi and then a private transfer via the car ferry to Koh Lanta, we had finally arrived at Koh Lanta. It was late, dark and we had no bearings of where we were. The next morning I got up a bit before six (I’m still working on Sydney time) and walked down to the resorts ocean-side restaurant to have a quick first look around and then get stuck into work.
Wow. Way better than what I had seen online. Views of one of my favourite places to visit, Phi Phi island, in the distance, calm ocean and the sounds of waves breaking, the sun was rising over the ranges behind me, so it was still cool, with soft morning light. I made friends with a cat.
I had felt like I had been in limbo while staying at Hua Hin previously for a week and really didn’t like it there. Finally I felt like I was in the right place and we’d reached the goal we’d been working towards for the last six months. So I took in the surroundings for a few minutes, then got to work (I’m a recruiter and its not fun)….five seconds later I felt like someone had run over my testicles with a tuk tuk!
Nice taking breaks during the work day and being able to swim in the resort pool, and not having to deal with traveling to work, and that 333 bus that sometimes never showed up! Working beach side is good for a while but I’ll be heading to the co-working space here so I can focus more, once we’ve found a place to rent long term.
Some unusual sights so far – mostly on the road – I almost ran over a large monitor lizard while driving; I’ve seen a few monkeys running across the road, mother and baby elephant roadside, a white horse, frogs jumping across the road; and guy 10m up a coconut tree – climbing with his bare hands and wearing jeans.
Doing a beach run and exploring at sunrise I found a family fishing for shellfish, followed by this sunrise.
This family parked their bike on the beach. Waverly Council wouldn’t be happy.
This family parked their bike on the beach. Waverly Council wouldn’t be happy!
I love it here already. It obviously has its frustrations and bad points, like last night, I was badly raped by mosquitoes, they didn’t miss any place on my whole body and work has been a real bitch from lack of sleep.
My Thai speaking skills are pathetic, and English/Thai comms has caused a few minor issues which were sometimes blessings in disguise. Waitress asked me if I wanted another beer, I said no thanks, just the one. So she went and opened another one for me. Thailand problems.
It’s hot – really hot but I kind of love and hate that. There aren’t many health facilities like back home, and I have a new back injury from folding up the pram, so where do I go for treatment? And for my buggered wrist? Koh Lanta isn’t known for its hand specialists.
I like the friendly Thai’s and how they love Charlie. This school girl was a bit too obsessed and I thought of Newman from Seinfeld for some reason. Charlie was keen to get away from her.
A kind of funny (in a slapstick Funniest Home Videos Thailand type of way) thing happened when a Thai mum and her little kid just got out of the pool we were at. She was leading her son along and saying goodbye to Charlie at the same time. As they walked past happily waving goodbye, thud, she had walked the kid straight into a coconut tree. Silence, then a few seconds later the crying started. Yep, there are no cultural differences when it comes to children in pain and the delayed crying phenomena. It looked something like this:
I wanted to say to her “Sorry my boy is so cute you made your boy walk into a coconut tree.” That would be difficult to say in Thai.
Today is the first day we haven’t pigged out on buffet. Must be a sign we’re settling in.
